


What Happens If I Fall?

by choccy_milk666



Series: What Happens If I Fall? [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Angst, Anxiety, Depression, Gang Wars, Lots of Angst, Multi, Mystery boy - Freeform, Slow Burn, i'll add more as we go along, loving friends, mental health issues(?), some other tags i guess, supportive family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-29
Updated: 2018-09-03
Packaged: 2019-05-30 09:17:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15093740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/choccy_milk666/pseuds/choccy_milk666
Summary: Meet Katie Rodríguez.Or, to her friends, Jinx.15 years old, and a great achiever. Long, brown locks frame a picture, perfect face and thick bangs that lay nice and neat atop her forehead, just above thick, curved brows. Button nose and full cheeks painted with light freckles. A beautiful, deep blue colour her pupils, eyes wide and curious. Her teeth shine every time she flashes a grin and her bubbly personality can make anyone laugh.If you ever told her that she would some day be a part of something greater she would probably laugh in your face, as she always did when her mother told her those words. However, after one fatal night, sat comfortably in what was supposed to be a safe, cozy spot for herself, she's forced to wonder if she really is a part of something greater.Hi! This is my first ever piece of work, I don't exactly know what I'm doing with it but I hope someone likes it!(Also, this story is set in Cuba, but warning I am entirely ignorant so for anyone who gets offended by the things I write in this story)EDIT: this story is NOT set in Cuba, no need to worry anymore ladies and gents.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so, this is the prologue, obviously. You can expect the next chapter very, very, VERY soon and...pleasebegentleI'mbutachild.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so, this is the prologue, but you can expect the next chapter very, very, VERY soon so...pleasebegentleI'mbutachild.

_1895, a man by the name of Jonathan Homes essentially, goes crazy. For some, this was no surprise. He dedicated his life to proving not all myths were myths; specifically, angels. He would claim, that he ‘saw one with his own eyes’, spent weeks on end with no sleep and eventually fell so ill he was admitted to the hospital. However, he did not stay there. Once he was proven well enough, he was stowed away in a top secret insane asylum, with few to none to populate it; of course, not before a few attempts at taking his own life, knowing just where he was going if hadn’t perished. He drew unlucky, a diligent eye in the corner of his room at all times._

_After months of loneliness, his state only grew worse, and he started to experience mutations on his upper back. Few patients cowered at the sight and he was holed out the doors, while he screamed and kicked and pleaded for any kind of help. At the last moment, terrifyingly beautiful feathers covered in blood covered his back. His frame shook as he continued to plead, only to be met with promptly closed doors._

_Struck in both awe and terror, most did not speak of what was seen, put aside the deluded who would rage on about it for weeks and months and years. Nevertheless, people were notified, close families of workers and friends who would either scoff or laugh._

_And so, without a family that really cares, Jonathan became his own work, a myth._

**\--------------------------**

_Symptoms of ‘The Homes’: Sleep deprivation, back pains, sensitivity to extreme temperatures, mild hallucination, severe anxiety, severe depression, suicidal thoughts, paranoia, superhuman enhancement._

_Superhuman enhancement._

_S u p e r h u m a n  e n h a n c e m e n t ._

_Those of greed and selfish actions would pay to have even the slightest of chances to power and superiority. Most of the time, they do. Some of the time, they were driven mad from the other symptoms. Rarely, they take their own lives to free themselves from the pains and attacks on their physical and mental states. Every other time, greed takes over and a dark sense of determination drives them insane and usually perish from over exhaustion. All of the time, they never get what they were looking for._

_The wiser are wary of the warnings and danger. Most of the time, they spend their lives cowering at the very slim chance of living the rest of their lives in pain which, in turn, creates their very own psychological hell of fear. Rarely, they dedicate their lives trying to find a cure and if mixed with greed, a cure that keeps the good for those who are lucky and gets rid of the bad. Some of the time, the wiser, no matter how careful, are still unlucky and left to go mad, usually fated to a shorter life, or at the very least, a meaningless one.  All of the time, their families watch as they drive themselves crazy and, slowly, they realise they might not have been as wise as they thought._

_I am a part of neither of these parties. I am what you call a fool. A being who is unknowing. Most of the time, we live our lives neither haunted nor taunted, and die at a reasonable age. Some of the time, we go by our day with the symptoms and never really pay any mind to them, which in most cases, leads to a short life anyway. Rarely, the symptoms pop up and we seek help; at this point, the disease is brought to our attention, and our paths merge with the wise or the selfish. All of the time, our end is virtually unpredictable._

_The disease resulted in an all-out war between the greedy, hungry for power and superiority, the wise roped in, forced and tortured to create serums that hold a liquid to trigger the disease in a person’s bloodstream. Sometimes used to pick off enemies, sometimes used as a last straw to enhance their bodies for a sliver of a chance at staying alive. This has gone for years now, all the way to present day._

_One of the biggest threats, head of a dangerous mafioso group around Cuba, on the verge of death and with a single legacy, his son, Noah._


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With a loving mother and friends, Katie finds it easy to find happiness. After meeting with her online friends as per usual, she decides to stow away to her perfect hiding spot in a nice, quiet place. Unfortunately, her peace is short lived, when the mystery edgy boy comes around, brows creased in anger, just like she remembered. No biggy though, she's not bothered. Totally. Except she is, deciding to suck it up and introduce herself after so many years of tension. Spoiler alert: that doesn't end well...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fair warning, I write these at like 2am and do literally zero percent of editing so be gentle,,

Meet Katie Rodríguez.

 

Or, to her friends, Jinx.

 

15 years old, and a great achiever. Long, brown locks frame a picture, perfect face and thick bangs that lay nice and neat atop her forehead, just above thick, curved brows. Button nose and full cheeks painted with light freckles. A beautiful, deep blue colour her pupils, eyes wide and curious. Her teeth shine every time she flashes a grin and her bubbly personality can make anyone laugh. Tanned skin soaks up the warmth of the sun, long legs covered in ripped, acid blue denim. A big tee with horizontal stripes is tucked neatly underneath the waistband of her jeans as she slings her shoulder bag over on one side.

 

In the kitchen, her mother is humming contently to herself and stacking clean dish after clean dish on a drying rack. She smiles happily and creeps forward.

 

“Hola mama,” she says cheerily and places a small peck on her mother’s cheek. Her mother smiles and says a quick reply and scooping Katie up in a bear hug before going back to the dishes.

 

“Ay, mija, didn’t I tell you to clean up after yourself?” she scolds half-heartedly. Katie smiles wider and replies with a hum of fake question and shrugs. She makes a grab to some bread and pops them in the toaster. In no more than a few minutes, the toast is cooked, if slightly burnt on the corners, and buttered. She stuffs her face with one piece and hold onto the other, making her way out the door.

 

“I’ll see you later mama!” she calls out from the front door.

 

“Make sure you’re careful mija. No talking to strangers, make sure you text me when you get there,” her mother calls back, the same warning as well. Katie pays no mind to it anymore, only smiles and rolls her eyes kindly.

 

“Yes mama.” And then she closes the door and huffs a breath, before skipping down the three small steps. She whips her phone and punches in her passcode before opening a small group chat. It’s pretty active already, her phone buzzing every other second; she supposes that’s what to expect before a group of friends meet up together, everyone buzzing to hang.

 

_ShamelessGay  (09:31am)_

_> DUDE they have biscuits here_

_Waterisnotwet (09:33am)_

_> Wow -_- obviously they have biscuits May, it’s a café._

_> I’ll be there in ten, get me a black coffee. _

_ShamelessGay (09:34am)_

_> rude >;(_

_FightClub (09:37am)_

_> hang on I thought we were meeting at 11? Why are you guys already there?? :/_

_Waterisnotwet (09:38am)_

_> scroll up, we changed the time_

_ShamelessGay (09:40am)_

_> are you really only having a black coffee? That’s so plain and edgy :/ _

_Waterisnotwet (09:42am)_

_> don’t judge my choices >:/_

_> what about you? I swear you’re gonna be the first of us to die with how much sugar you put in your poison_

_ShamelessGay (09:43am)_

_> gasp_

_> so mean >.<_

Katie giggles a little at the two bickering.

 

“So cute~” she mumbles under her breath. Ever since Max (Waterisnotwet) confessed to having a small crush on a _certain someone_ , she has been completely invested in fulfilling that crush. _Unrequited love,_ she scoffs inwardly, _not in my household,_ and types a quick message before sending it off.

 

_AmericanEspresso (09:50am)_

_> alright you two calm down_

_> Joshie~~_

_Waterisnotwet (09:50am)_

_> yeah ‘joshie~~’_

_> >;p_

_FightClub (09:52am)_

_> will you two stop calling me that…_

_AmericanEspresso (09:53am)_

_> we’ll be hanging this over your head for the rest of your life, be prepared_

_> anyway, what time are you coming now?_

_> ill be running late too btw_

_FightClub (09:54am)_

_> sigh _

_> ill be there in five _

_AmericanEspresso (09:55am)_

_> make sure to get my usual ;p_

Katie giggles quietly as she pockets her phone and makes her way to the foot of a very long and steep pathway. She takes a deep breath and opens a small, worn out and wooden gate. She closes it carefully behind herself, watching as small splinters free themselves from the bulk of wood.

 

**\-----------------**

Every three weeks, Katie and her friends meet at a rustic little café on top of a small mountain and gather at a small bench to take in the view and update each other on their lives. Now, when they all first became friends, five years ago, they didn’t used to do this, the only connection they ever had being the small group chat they have together. They all assumed that they were miles away and would never ACTUALLY meet each other, but, as if by some freakish miracle, they all found one another up in the bushes of that mountain, recklessly swinging sticks or quietly sipping some coffee. They all seemed frozen in time and shock, _good times,_ Katie thinks to herself, allowing a small smile curl up her face. Everything seemed fated perfectly in her favour that day, meeting all her internet friends was just the cherry on top. You see, on that Katie-

 

“Jinx!” the sound of her nickname, suddenly shook her out of her daydream. She glances around to find her friends waving her over to a bench they’ve claimed for years now. She smiles widely and waves back. She notices Josh holding onto two cups of coffee, one of them, she assumes, is hers. She picks up her pace a little as she makes her to her friends.

 

“Hey guys! Sorry I’m late, I woke up late..” she finishes shyly, but smiles nonetheless. Josh rolls his eyes playfully as he hands her drink over. His skin is fair, if for a bit of discolouration here and there, but it’s nothing anyone would pay any real mind to, eyes, a dark hazel and hair rugged and ruffed up, hidden under a maroon beanie. Katie lightly, ruffles the top of his head, making his beanie move out of place.

 

“Thanks, Joshie~~” she says cheekily, watching Josh’s usual stoic and shit-eating grin fade, replaced with a light blush and horrified look, his mouth making a slight ‘o’, until he puffs out a small breath and crosses his arms; though a small glint in his eyes doesn’t budge. Katie continues to giggle manically as she takes a seat, her smirk still in place, and takes a sip from her coffee.

 

Immediately, she regrets this.

 

Her eyes go wide as she swallows too quickly and feels the hot liquid burn her throat as it trickles down her throat. She yelps shortly and starts waving her hands over her face and squint tightly. She hears Josh cackling loudly next to her and scowls at him, while he clutches onto his sides and hunches over the bench. Katie huffs heavily as she tries to control her breathing and sticks her tongue out.

 

“Oh-h my god! T-that made my day,” Josh says in between laughs. Katie crosses her arms moodily and stick her bottom lip out, assuming a similar position to Josh’s just before. She hears a small ‘hmph’ from across the table and notices Bailey’s face screwed up jokingly, Max next to her, trying hard to keep a straight, unaffected face, and slightly failing, while she holds onto her glasses. 

 

“So mean,” Bailey starts, and just about bursting right then, “don’t worry Katie, it wasn’t that funny,” she says, turning to Katie. She continues to pout but slumps a little, relaxed. That is, until Bailey starts to crack a smile, a supressed giggle bubbling out of her. Katie sees, in the corner of her eye, even Max has started to smile too.

 

“It was only hilarious!” and that’s the final straw, when Bailey starts laughing along and Max bursts out laughing with her.

 

“God, you facial expressions!” Max points accusingly, laughing on. Katie’s face grows redder and her brows raise.

 

“Wh-! Oh come on, you guys! It wasn’t _that_ funny!”

 

**\------------------------**

“And then Ms. Green said ‘well I’m sure you couldn’t be any more of a disappointment to your parents now’!” Max and an abrupt amount of laughter escapes from all of their mouths. Then, suddenly, a small alarm sounds for 4:30pm. Josh, covers his smile with one hand, still giggling and picks up his phone, to tap a few times at the screen and turn off the alarm.

 

“Looks like I’ve gotta head out guys,” he says, “See you later!” He packs away his laptop and makes to go down the steep hill, waving at the group of girls. Then, Bailey and Max start to pack up.

 

“I’ve gotta go too,” Max says, Bailey humming in agreement. They smile and wave at Katie.

 

“See ya! I’ve still got some stuff to work on so I’ll catch you later.” They both nod an affirmative and make their way down as well. She notices a little blush on Max’s face and smirks accusingly at her. Max scowls from behind Bailey’s back, pinches her fingers and moves them across her mouth; ‘zip it’, Max silently conveys through her eyes and whips back around to answer a question Bailey had expectantly waited for.

 

Katie only smiles and shakes her head to herself.

 

“One day,” she says to herself, determined, “I’m gonna make you guys happen!” before she, too is packing up and making her way too a small side trail on the right.

 

**\------------------------------------**

When Katie finally seats herself on a huge, flat rock, embedded to the side of the mountain, she looks up to be greeted by a burst of pastel pinks and purples, and a setting sun sitting on the horizon. She takes out her sketch pad and colouring pencils and sets them down beside herself. She breathes in a gust of wind and shuts her eyes contently. _Perfect_ , she thinks, as she soaks in the quiet, for a few moments more.

 

A small rustle of leaves is what drags her out of her daze, as she opens her eyes with a scowl. She turns around to see a boy glaring back at her.

 

His eyes are a deep forest green, with a hint of chestnut brown, set in a challenging stare. He’s a little smaller than the average teen, but his body is sculpted well; you can tell he likes to run a lot. His mouth is pulled into a tight scowl, his nose scrunching slightly as thick brows furrow. He mumbles something under his breath, almost too quiet to hear. But, they’ve gone through this drill so many times that Katie already knows what he’s said.

 

_Just stay on your side._

“Like I want to be near _you_ ,” she says, with more bile than necessary, “We agreed Sundays were my days,” she continues.

 

“Yeah well you know me,” he replies, bored.

 

“I don’t actually,” she interjects, irritated.

 

“I don’t really follow rules,” he carries on, as if she didn’t say anything and smirks at her playfully.

 

Katie grimaces and rolls her eyes, before facing the opposite direction to him, making sure the boy didn’t catch her blush. _This is not supposed to happen,_ she thinks to herself. _You’re supposed to hate him,_ she reminds herself, though it’s not _exactly_ true. You see, Katie is a very stubborn type, never backs out of things until she’s proven herself or the other person has backed out. So when this boy reacted harshly to her she automatically took it as a challenge, swearing to hate him till he bit and apologised to her.

_Easy,_ she thought.

 

That was _two years ago._

 

Turns out mystery boy is just as stubborn, maybe even more considering how distraught Katie is.

_No way, Rodríguez, you are not biting to this- this- ugh! No! Just no._

 

She sighs in defeat, accepting that she’s lost and gearing up for one of the most awkward conversations she’ll probably ever have in her life. She turns around, but before she can even get a word out, she feels a small pinch on the small of her back. Confused she reaches behind her back, to feel a small cylinder-shaped object. She winces as she takes it out and holds it to her face. She takes a quizzical look at it before bringing her eyes forward. She notices the boy has a horrified look on her face, before she can even question anything much further, a great pain surges through her body.

 

She grunts in agony and falls forward, hunching in on herself and grappling at the ground. Her back feels as if it’s being pulled off her body. She tries to reach around but before she can, clumps of blood retch out of her mouth, another wave of pain overcoming her. She screams and grunts again, finally collapsing to the ground, resorting to clutching at her head.

 

She hears a boy’s voice, feels hesitant touches and suddenly the feeling of being lifted from the ground, warmth enveloping her. She catches one last glimpse of the boy’s voice; a strange calm washes over as she looks into his eyes, and the pain subsides for just a second before her body seizes again and the boy seems to come out of a small trance and makes quick work to move.

 

Katie closes her eyes but she can’t seem to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will take a lot longer to come out!! So take your time, I guess?


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After finally making it to the hospital, Katie finds herself on the brink of death. A few hours turns into a few weeks and people she thought she would trust for the rest of life, she struggles to even look at. Dealing with immense amount of pain a day with no one to explain to her why, she seems to slip and succumb to the taunts in her mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I'm going to try to post every other weekend, but please bare with me, I might not be able to keep up. Hopefully I should though, and if it goes well I'll try every weekend. Anyway, this chapter is mostly to show how Katie is affected and the way her personality changes towards people.

It takes two hours before they get down the mountain and to a hospital.

It takes one hour before help is available and a doctor is working on her.

It takes fourteen hours before doctors decide to put her under.

She feels nothing, hears nothing, sees nothing. Just an everlasting span of darkness and the air whispering in her ear. She feels oddly numb, a drastic difference to the pain she felt before, and she thinks now, she might be okay. Katie finally rests.

But it doesn’t last long.

First, a soft yellow, seeps through the darkness, then the whirl of wind thrums stronger in her ear and the pain no longer subsides. Her back begins to ache again, her throat closes up and she finds it hard open her eyes. She sits there aching for a while and feels the tell-tale heat of tears streaming down her face, salty liquid nipping at the corners of her mouth; just like that, she’s suddenly frozen. Her chest hurts as hiccups escape through her mouth. She shivers, unable to move or do anything to stop herself. She wonders why it’s so cold and why she feels so alone.

What did she do to get to this point?

Why is she in this situation?

Why is it so cold?

Is it my fault?

Why is it cold?

Everything hurts.

It’s so cold.

She wants it to stop.

Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop.

She wants to go home.

Cold, cold, cold, cold, cold, cold, cold, cold, cold, cold, cold.

Her fingers shake, her breathing labours.

Make it stop, make it stop, make it stop, make it stop.

She feels her face go numb. She starts panicking.

Stopstopstopstopstopstopstopstopstopstopstopstopstopstopstopstopstopstop-

Her lips turn blue, body no longer quivering.

I’m dying, I’m dying, I’m dying, I’m dying, I’m dying, I’m dyi-

She’s dying.

The light forces its way through her eyelids.

It hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts—

Everything is too bright.

StopstopstopstopstopstOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOP—

And everything stops.

Katie’s left with darkness, and consciousness wavers until it is no more.

 

 

Warmth.

Warm hands, caress her own. She hears faint cries, pleads to ‘come back’ and hushed apologies in a shaky voice. A voice so familiar, so comforting, almost enough to chase away all the pain.

“Please baby, God doesn’t need you just yet,” she hears, ever so quietly. She wants to comfort this person so badly, tell them she’s alive, and that she’ll be alright. The thing is, she doesn’t know if she will be…but she wants to be strong for this person. Her bottom lip quivers, hoping, begging to just- say anything, to wipe away this person tears. So she takes a deep breath, squints her eyes before slitting them open slightly and opens her mouth, her saliva still tasting of metal and salty tears.

“Mama..” her voice whispers, hoarse. She instantly reacts, looking up from where she had just been praying, head down towards Katie’s hand entangled in her own, she takes a long inhale, eyes wide. This is the last thread of composure she’s able to muster before she breaks into a crying mess. She bundles Katie up into a long, shaky hug.

“Mija-!” she screams. Katie smiles faintly, desperate to comfort her mother more, as she weeps harder in Katie’s shoulder, creating a damp, wet spot on her clothing. This makes Katie realise she’s no longer wearing the clothes she was before, in its place, a hospital gown. Her brows furrow a little at that, mind growing suspicious of how much she had missed. She scans her surroundings to observe dimly lit walls, painted a boring white. She squints a little at the soft yellow in the corner of her eye, her body warmer, only by a slight fraction, where the yellow rests on top of her. She guesses a window is behind her, the blinds rolled up. She winces a little at the light, tears daring to prickle at the corners of her eyes, searching wildly for something she’s unsure of. Her mother notices, panicked, starting to pull away. Katie’s life flashes before her eyes, desperate to keep her mother by her side.

“No!” she breathes and musters up a small burst of energy to pull her mother back in, not ready to be without the warmth she’s giving off. Her mother doesn’t hesitate to wrap her arms back around her. Katie wishes she could stay like this forever, body still aching but ebbing, away slowly. Her mother seems to realise, so they remain holding each other for a while.

After a long time, Katie only gets increasingly more worried, failing to recall what had happened to get her stuck here. She starts to panic. Her breathing becomes ragged, tears threatening to spill from her eyes that continue to dart every which way across the room. Her heart rate picks up, emphasised by the quick beeps picking up speed, arms tightening around her mother’s waist, trying hard to find comfort. Then her mama strokes her head gently, shushing quietly into her hair.

“Shh, shh…it’s okay mija, it’s okay. Tell me what’s wrong, are you hurt?” slight panic etched into her voice, but, much different to before, it’s grounded and firm and so loving. Katie hangs tightly to her mother’s voice, choking out gasps for air, willing the now flooding tears to stop. Her mama just continues to comfort her, much calmer than what she was before. Katie’s heart slowly comes back down to a regular speed.

“Take your time, darling.” She whispers softly, gently urging Katie to take deep breaths, in and out. Katie takes a breath.

“Where-..” she takes another, rethinking what to ask, what to say.

“What happened--?” she wheezes, cutting off at the very end, and gulping in more deep breaths. Her mama, tenses a little, the small pets coming to a stop for a second before continuing, as if undeterred. She stays quiet for a little longer before stuttering out a small reply.

“I’m not sure,” she chuckles breathily, though Katie can tell there’s no real joke hidden in her mother’s words. She feels trembling lips kiss the side of her head before a shaky breath tickles at her left ear.

“I got a call from the hospital saying you were in the ER room…” she doesn’t miss the way her mother hesitates before continuing, “that was three weeks ago,” she says under her breath, so quietly Katie might not have heard it if she hadn’t been straining her ears for it. Somehow, she wishes she hadn’t been. As her mother continued on, unable to notice the quick beeps on the machine picking up again over the loud thrumming of blood rushing to her head and oceans of tears seeping through her sockets, her voice shakes, fighting to speak over the sick feeling in her stomach.

“You died, baby,” she choked out, and there was no way of fighting the ache they both tried so hard to keep at bay anymore.  
\------------

“Look at her, she’s so…-“

“Don’t- even say it, Max..”

“Gosh, what if she’s allergic to the flowers or something..?”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Bailey, why would you worry about something like that now?”

“…Right, sorry, that was stupid.”

“…Hey, don’t get upset. You’re just stressed..we all are. I’m sure she’ll love the flowers, we’ve known her long enough to know what’s going to kill her or not.”

“Obviously not…”

“Josh!”

“What? It’s true! We should have stayed with her!”

“You know there’s nothing we could do, we didn’t know this would happen!”

“Why would we let her be alone in the first place, I can’t believe this!”

“She’s not a child, Josh! We can’t hold her hand wherever she goes, we’re barely able to se each other as it is!

“Both of you, stop!”

Silence.

“…She’s waking up.”

Silence continued to stretch across the room as Katie’s eyes slowly peeked at the figures talking above her. Mind foggy from sleep, she couldn’t quite place who they were, what they were, causing her to panic slightly.

“Katie…?” a curious muffled voice asked, sounding distant.

Bailey doesn’t miss the way she sees her wounded friend visibly flinch at her voice. She takes a step back from the hospital bed, hoping to offer some sort of comfort that way. She’s pleased to see Katie’s expression relax a little more, although her guard is still relentless. She tries hard to continue to smile, appear as friendly as she could.

Katie keeps her hands at her sides, tense and itchy. Since arriving to the hospital her skin has become more and more irritable, particularly on her hands, wrists and neck and after two weeks of nurses finding her necks covered in blood and scratch marks, the doctors decided to restrain her hands. Unfortunately, this backfired, the result ending in several panic attacks within the span of 15 hours, the most noted complaint being that her wrists ‘feel like they are on fire where the restraints touched’. Luckily, her mother found that chambray is the least irritable for Katie, reminded of how she slaved over all kinds of stores to find such breathable fabric, and settled on wrapping her hands, arms and neck with it for the time being. Upon finding her skin increasingly sensitive, she tends to have outbreaks and hallucinations, claiming ‘dark figures watch her while she’s sleeping’. Most cases, it’s only the nurses checking on her mental state.

“Katie, it’s just us. Me, Bailey and Max, okay? You don’t have to worry.” Katie scooches as far away from the dark figures looming over her, too afraid to register what she’s hearing. Instead she hears, small whispers, flashes of events that had occurred for her to reach this point. She hears, distantly, the rapid beeping she’s become familiar with all too much now over her heavy breaths. The figures press on, voices no more then loud mumbles ringing in her ears, looking her over as if she is their meal. She hugs onto her stomach, eyes darting from figure to figure. She feels a small tingle crawling through her spine, before her upper back begins ache again, pushing against her body. She curls into herself, whimpering, deciding to try what her mother had taught, to keep her nerves down, picturing a hexagon and syncing her breathing with how it moves.

And she almost does it. She almost a panic attack, almost gets one step closer to leaving the hell-hole that is this hospital. Then she feels the feather light brush of another’s skin across hers, coming undone. She keens in agony, screeching in pain. She hears, multiple yelps of panic, all too loud. She holds her head in her hands, rocking in place.

“Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, sto-“ She heaves for breath, needs to fill her lungs before she faints, sobbing at cries for help, wishing, begging for her mother to hold her.

“P-please, p-lease I jus-t want my mama, please-a-AGHH!!” She chokes out, keeling in the pain on her upper back, hoping and praying for any type of ease. She jerks back more, feeling her body move against her, as if she’ll explode. After one more blood curling yelp, she hears a rush of stopping feet. Distantly she hears her mother’s voice, panicked and confused, pleading to be able to see her baby, but always brushed off swiftly.  
“You’ll see her soon.”

“Just leave it to the experts.”

“You’ll only be in the way, just let us handle things for now.”

“We’ll notify you of what happens. No need to worry, ma’am.”

That’s what they always say. That’s what they always tell her. They think they know what’s best, but they’re not doing anything, they’re telling us anything.

…I just want to go home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I said, I'm hoping to post every other weekend, so stay tuned!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We watch Katie's friends and family through their struggles and worries for her. An unfamiliar name is asking for Josie, and she is hit with overwhelming feelings that she hadn't felt in weeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry it's a little late, but it's here! I'm actually at school rn, I'm a total rebel.

“She’s losing a lot of blood.”

 

“Someone get these kids out, now!”

 

“Come on now, Katie, just relax and let us help.”     

 

“No-! Stay away from me!” Flinching away from the hand slowly advancing on her upper back, she keeps her face buried in the sheets, heaving for breath and clenching the fabric wrapped around her hands.

 

“What’s happening to her?! Is she okay?” she hears a familiar voice shout, clear as day, soaked in worry and panic. She lifts her head to the sound, tilted in curiosity. Her hair is tangled and messy, face flushed and sweating. She blinks wearily at the bright light in her face as she jerks backwards from it; disoriented, the doctors use that as their advantage to slap a mask over her mouth, causing Katie to panic and rut before, finally, falling forward into a nurse’s arms to be settled down on her stomach.

 

”Patient has been sustained,” the doctor says, exasperated.

 

“There seems to have been further damage to the upper back, Dr. Hamilton,” the nurse that had lay Katie down piped up, slightly shaken.

 

“How bad?” he replies.

 

“Considering the amount of blood that is seeping through the bandages, I believe the stitches have come undone again. It also seems, it has swollen up substantially…” she trails off at the end, weakly unwrapping the bandages from Katie’s frail, frighteningly lifeless body. The doctor sighs, rubbing her eyes under his thin square glasses, before staring down at Katie, eyes filled with concern and fear for her.

 

After several moments spent frozen like that, he sighs again, “Okay,” he says, “get me some antiseptic, fresh bandages and needle kit.” Before walking over to the sink to wash his hands and grabbing a pair of rubber gloves.

 

“Right.” The nurse replies before walking out. As she opens the door, you can hear the very panicked voice of Katie’s mother demanding to know the details of what happened, while three shaken teenagers cling to her shirt behind her, face red with rage from being shun by everyone. 

 

“Tell me what is happening to my mija!” she shouts before Hamilton hears the door shut close. He takes in one more deep breath, closing his eyes and setting himself down into a chair near where Katie was resting. He looks up to see her squirming, never truly comfortable where she is.

 

“How did you get into this mess, kid?” he asks, expecting no answer. He hears the door creak open once again, a few more words angrily sworn before it closes shut once again.

 

“Dr. Hamilton, there’s a lot of commotion outside, I was wondering if we should-“

 

“I’ll talk to me, Ms. Rodríguez after I finish the procedure, bring me the materials.” He interrupts. The nurse pauses, before nodding silently and handing over the antiseptic.

 

“I’ll just wash my hands and be right there sir.”

 

 

 

**\-------------------**

 

Shaking in her seat, she bows her head in her hands, sobbing quietly. She’s feels a hand rest hesitantly on her shoulder. Tensing under the warmth, memories of her daughter carefully resting her own hand on her shoulder shake through her mind, sending shivers through out her body.

 

“Are you okay, Jo?” She takes in a breath before lifting her head, eyes closed. She turns her head to the source of the young man’s voice, opening her eyes and smiling sadly. She nods her head slowly towards the boy, grasping her hands harshly as to stop them from shaking. The boy only screws his face up further, worry strung between his frown.

 

“Josie, I know I’m only a kid,” he starts, hearing this everyday from the woman in question since asking if she was okay became routine, before continuing, “but you’ve known me for a long time. You can talk to me.” He says, stern and tender. Josephine frowns for a second before sighing contently. She looks off to see Bailey and Max seated across from them in the visitors’ room, talking quietly, ushering reassuring words to each other. She smiles towards them, looking back to the boy next to her. She pats his thigh softly.

 

“You’re all such good kids, Joshie, very mature,” she says, pinching his cheek lightly. He chuckles, a small blush spread across his face. She frowns slightly, staring down at her lap, opening her mouth again to say, “but I couldn’t do that to you, mijo.” She smiles down placidly, thinking back on all the fond memories she’s had with her daughter’s friends.

 

“You all have been very supportive for me ever since Katie…” she takes a shaky breath, before smiling up at him again, “well, you know. However,” she continues, finger pointed at him as warning, eyeing him playfully.

 

“I know you three have been worried sick. And I know I’ve been a little bit…unapproachable,” she says slowly, thinking back to when she had just before been screaming obscenities towards the nurses and doctors who refused to tell her anything, “but I need to make sure you’re all okay too. I’m an adult, you kids shouldn’t even be awake at this time, it’s 10:30!” Josh sighs.

 

“You might be an adult, but you’re also her mother. It’s okay to be a little worried about Katie. And it’s okay to talk to us. We can handle it. Like you said,” he smiles, “we’re very mature.”

 

She chuckles lightly, grouping him in for a hug. Josh feels a small sense of proud in managing to help the distraught mother calm her nerves a little.

 

“But I should tell you kids don’t sleep at all, anymore” he says cheekily, and laughs when he hears Josie gasp dramatically.

 

 

**\----------**

“Ms. Josephine Rodríguez?” Bailey lifts her head at the name, looking over to the person in question.

 

“Yes, that’s me. Is something wrong?” She asks, standing in response.

 

“No, everything’s fine, Katie is okay now, just resting. However, Dr. Hamilton would like to speak with you before you see her.” The nurse says robotically, flipping through pages on a clipboard. After.few too many moments of silence, she looks up, confused. _Dr. Hamilton? Who’s Dr. Hamilton?_  She snaps out of it, noticing the nurse staring at her.

 

“I’m sorry ma’am, is something wrong? I can show you to where Dr. Hamilton’s office is or…?” she says, slightly concerned for the mother, seemingly stuck to the floor.

 

“No, no! It’s okay, I’m sure I’ll find my way around to his office,” She responds, a little frazzled, “thank you very much.” She nods towards Bailey and her friends before rushing out the door and down the hospital hall. After she leaves, Bailey deflates a little, looking down at her hands in her lap. She sighs, trying her best to smile.

 

“I hope Katie’s okay.” She says, not really speaking to anyone.

 

“I’m sure she is.” Max responds, placing her hand on Bailey’s in, an attempt to comfort her. Bailey intertwines their fingers and places her other hand on top, assuring her that the sentiment was appreciated. After a moment, Bailey speaks up.

 

“I’m sorry for freaking out about the flowers, I was just stressed…which everyone is, so I guess that doesn’t actually matter that much.” She shrugs, chucking quietly, sarcastically. Max frowns.

 

“That’s not true Bail’s. Yes, we’re all stressed but that doesn’t mean you have to subside your own feelings. You matter too.” She says, sure and steady. Bailey smiles, heart warmed from Max’s words. She leans her head on Max’s shoulder and sighs, closing her eyes.

 

 

**\----------------**

 

Josie knocked on the door, hesitant, hoping for a proper answer instead of the usual, ‘Katie is stable, she should be fine in a couple weeks’ like the rest of the doctors. She scoffs even thinking about all the excuses that had been thrown at her. For months, she had been putting up with horrible justifications as to why Katie had only been getting worse, the second she had entered the hospital. She lost count of the amount of times she’s complained about the hospital being ‘inadequate to family needs’. The door finally opens after she only just manages to refrain from rolling her eyes.

 

“Ah, Ms. Rodríguez. Would you like to sit?” He asks, gesturing towards a chair. She takes a step inside, the doctor closing the door behind them. She eyes the doctor as he makes his way over to his desk and sinks into his seat with a heavy sigh and a grave look. Josie fiddles with her hands, suddenly nervous under the doctor’s stare.

 

“Now, Ms. Rodríguez, I would like to discus-“ a little overwhelmed, Josie panics after being told more than ‘Katie is fine’ and struggles to find some kind of peace offering for him.

 

“Please! Call me, Josie.” She says, interrupting him for a brief moment, leaving him slightly stunned. He decides to adjust his demeanour to help the mother calm down. He’s pleased to see she relaxes.

 

“’Josie’. Okay, Josie. I wanted to talk to you about Katie. I am aware that we have been a little secretive in regards to her health. However, you as her parent and guardian, have a right to know what is happening to your child so I would like to ask you to please stay calm.” Surprised from the sudden trust that had been instilled to her, she stares at the doctor trying to process the words he had just said. The doctor only sits patiently, wiping his glasses down and adjusting them on his nose. Josie takes a breath and prepares for any negative news he could throw.

 

“Take your time, Ms. Rodríguez.”

 

“Josie.”

 

“Right. Josie.” She takes one more breath and places her hands in her lap.

 

“Okay. I’m ready.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mother hen's gonna get some good ol' answers in the next chapter! We'll be out of the hospital in a couple more chapters, but we'll see some development with mystery boy next chap and possibly her friends? I'm not sure, but hope you enjoyed!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, Josie gets some answers and even a few possible solutions. It may be sprinkled with a few cons, but at this point, Josie just wants to see her daughter smiling again. But happiness can't last forever. Doctor Hamilton knows that all to well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ladies and gents, I'm back! Sorry for the small hiatus, I had a a lot of assignments and tests, shit like that. But I've got this chapter and a new story that I handed in for an english assignment! I'll most likely going back into a small hiatus just get a head start and write up a couple chapters, so makes this stretch!

“Alright, Josie. First off, I’d like to ask if you know anything about the disease, ‘The Homes’?” the doctor asks, pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose subconsciously. Josie sit there, overly unprepared and not even half as nervous as she feels she should be considering the stone-cold stature the doctor has sunken back into.

 

“Should I um- _should_ I know about it?” she asks slowly, slightly jittery and uncertain. Dr. Hamilton only smiles, soft and reassuring, making Josie to relax _just a little._ He raises his hands and scooches forward in his seat. The sound of leather scraping against fabric causes Josie to wince, senses oddly heightened since the atmosphere had turned grave; but the doctor looks more than friendly, a significant change to the tight-lipped, closed off demeanour he had been in for the past couple months. She smiles tiredly, deciding to trust him.

 

“No need to worry Josie. It isn’t a very…well known sickness, although it was very serious in the past. The symptoms for the disease include sleep deprivation, back pains, sensitivity to extreme temperatures, mild hallucination, severe anxiety, severe depression, suicidal thoughts, paranoia, superhuman enhancement.” He says, attitude visibly more glum then before. He rests his elbows on his desk, hands clasped together, covering most of his face. He stares intently into no where in particular, Josie just on the other side, waiting patiently, if not a little breathless, tapping quietly on the other side of the desk. The doctor seems to come to terms with his internal battles against his mind, pushing off with his hands and turning back to Josie, trying his best to sustain a balance between serious and approachable. Non-threatening.

 

“It actually hasn’t been a problem since 1896, when an anonymous tip was given to a woman named Vanessa Homes. It was rumoured her husband had contracted the disease and died at the age of 22 years,” he explains. Josie sits quietly, prompting him to continue, “Vanessa managed to develop a suppressant that lasts up to 10 years, which had recently been successfully incorporated into vaccination shots.” Josie seems to stiffen, skeptic as to why she had never heard of anything like this.

 

“I don’t know understand.” She says, truthfully, “if people are getting shots to suppress this, why wouldn’t anyone know about it?” she asks, toeing the line of trust. The doctor remains seated, calm.

 

“Yes well, alongside the many negatives of the disease, there was a very big chance that some…good would come from it.” Intrigued, Josie stays seated, willing and curious.

 

“A very, _very_ select few would inherit a pair of _wings,_ which caused a lot of commotion in humanity, some even hoping t-“ he’s suddenly interrupted by a stern glare from the mother, frowning in disdain.

 

“Dr. Hamilton,” she starts, cold, “if you are not going to tell me what is wrong with my daughter then I will that you _do not waste my time._ ” She bites the last few words out, dripping with poison as a warning for the doctor not to play with her emotions. He visibly recoils, recognizing the absurdity of his words.

 

“Oh! No! Ms. Rodríguez, I promise I am taking this entirely seriously. I know it sounds…insane to say the least. But really, I’m telling you only what I think is true.” He says sincerely, hoping to convey his mutual concern for the teen across the hall. Josie seems to go through her internal battles, seeing genuine care from him. She slumps a little, but her frown stays, brows knit closely together.

 

“Call me Josie.” She says, only half-joking. He visibly relaxes, smiling in relief.

 

“Then you should call me James.” He replies. She chuckles quietly, short and bittersweet before nodding. He decides to continue.

 

“Many people were desperate for the off chance of…gaining some kind of superhuman enhancement. So, when the suppressant was developed, any chatter of The Homes would be investigated immediately and often punished by death.” He hears a small gasp, “Anyone who talked of it, would be labelled ‘Rebels’, they’d go underground, hold doctors imprisoned and forced them to find some kind of way to…let’s say, ‘awaken the bug inside their blood cells.’” He cringes, forming air quotes with his fingers and shuddering involuntarily. Amused, Josie sticks her tongue and makes a noise in false disgust. The doctor only sighs, smile plastered on his face, before both resume speaking.

 

“Anyway, after a while the rebels got into too many disagreements and divided into lots of small factions forming three separate major parties; there were ‘The Reckless’ who were mostly drunk dead beats who hated their lives, ‘The Wise’ which consisted of doctors and hostages that had successfully escaped from their barons and, the largest group, ‘The Mafioso’ which I’m sure you can guess were populated with.” He says gravely. Josie stays quiet, only one single question on her mind.

 

“What does this have to do with Katie?” she asks, face pale. The doctor turns sorrowfully, taking his glasses off. Josie takes a breath, preparing herself.

 

“The young man that brought Katie in, told us that, before she had collapsed, she pulled a tranquil shot out of her back.” He takes a moment before continuing, “I’m so sorry, Ms. Rodríguez, I should have told you sooner.”

 

“Josie.” She corrects, dejected. There’s a beat of silence before she seems to full register what he had said. She tucks a loose piece of hair behind her ear and straightens herself, eyes wide and on the brink of tears. She starts to say something, before cutting off in a choked sob. The doctor flinches, reaching out to comfort her before deciding against it. Josie pulls herself together and tries.

 

“Okay,” she starts, nodding slowly, “what does that mean?” she asks only barely avoiding the impulse to retch her guts out. _What was in it? Why did I let her go out? She’s going to die isn’t she? Oh no, I can’t let her go yet, I can’t she’s still young, please god no-_

“We retrieved the tranquilizer and scanned the substance that remained and…the tests came back that contained chemicals that could have triggered the virus in Katie’s blood system.” Josie shuddered, grasping onto the edge of her desks. Knuckles turning white, she focused on keeping her breathing under control. _In and out, in and out._ The doctor places his hand near hers, making sure as to not cross a line but to also offer some comfort if needed.

 

“Are you okay, Josie?” he asks, concerned. She closes her eyes shut, swallowing hard and sitting back, finally letting go of the desk.

 

“I’m okay, I just- can you not just give her the suppressant?” he shakes his head, gloomily.

 

“The suppressant no longer works after the virus has been activated.” He explains. Josie laughs, grim, shaking her head down at her lap, fighting off her tears that are stationed just behind her eyelids. She blinks rapidly, taking a few minutes to calm herself down.

 

“So, what can we do then?” she asks, determined. The doctor takes a second to reply, a little stunned from such a quick bounce back from the mother. He smiles, growing respect for her blooming.

 

“We have some options.”

 

 

**\-------------**

Stepping out of Doct- James’ office (he had been so insistent for her to call him by his first name after she had), Josie feels a little lighter than she expected. She clutches at the package she had just received from him, she knocks on Katie’s hospital room door quietly, calling out Katie’s name so she isn’t frightened. She hears a small voice say, ‘come in’ and tentatively opens the door, only leaving a small opening to slip through so not too much light would come into the room. The blinds are rolled down and the lights are turned of, the only source of light being the steady light of the heart rate monitor. Josie smiles at the small girl in the hospital bed, taking a seat next to her and taking her hands in her own.

 

“Hello mija.” She says, softly. Katie lets herself smile tiredly, breathing a little more steadily than usual, thanks to the anesthetic. Katie takes a deep breath, eyes closed and speaks, voice croaky and full of sleep.

 

“Can you tell the guys I’m sorry? I didn’t mean to freak out.” She says quietly. Her heart rate picks up a little, but not so much so that Josie has to be concerned. Josie smiles down at her, warmth spreading in how much care her baby girl has for others.

 

“I’m sure they already know that, sweetheart.” She whispers, kissing the sickly girl’s forehead. She hears a soft sigh and the beeping slows back down to a normal speed. After a moment of Katie’s hand twitching in hers, she remembers the package James had given her, fumbling to unwrap the ripped fabric on Katie’s hands.

 

“The doctor gave me some things to help you manage the pain,” she explains, feeling Katie tense under her touch. She’s careful, ripping open the package, making sure not to damage any of its contents. She pulls out a pair of raven black fabric. On one side, are five small holes, the other, one big one. She pieces together that they might be gloves. Josie slips them onto Katie’s hands, slow and steady.

 

“He said they were custom made to help with the irritation.” She explains further, rummaging through the package again, looking for something else. Katie sits quietly, confused. The last thing she was told by the doctors were that no one knew what was happening to her and that she should be fine in a couple days.

 

“Who..?” Josie cuts Katie off with a small gasp, realising she must be very confused. She looks up from the package, smiling softly at Katie and scooches forward a little towards her, disregarding the sweater shirt she had pulled out.

 

“A new doctor, his name is James. He told me everything.” She says, smile a little sadder than before. She fiddles with her fingers, picking at her nails for a bit before looking back up at Katie, eyes watery and small frown fixed on her face. She reaches for Katie’s hands, prompting Katie to grip tightly and stay still as her mother spoke quietly of everything, careful to leave out the part about mafias and myths. After a few sheds of tears and one very long hug, Katie felt empty. As if, she didn’t know how to feel. Yes, she was in aments amounts of pain and, yes, she was always on edge now. But now, she knows there are things that can help with the pain, and if the pain is gone, then she’ll no longer have anything to worry about. Well; as far as she knows. Josie decides not to feel too bad about it, convincing herself that she didn’t need to know everything. She tucks small brown lock behind Katie’s ear, watching intently as she closes her eyes and leans into the small touch of affection from the mother.

 

“Come mija, we still have something to do,” she says, grasping Katie’s hands gently, making sure to hold her attention as Dr. Hamilton quietly makes his way towards Katie with a small metal trolley. Katie flinches a little, slightly distressed, but is quickly soothed by the soft gaze her mother was giving her.

 

“Don’t worry sweetheart, this will help you,” she said softly, stroking the side of Katie’s hair, comfortingly. Katie relaxes and attempts to steel herself, trying her best to ignore the small needle the doctor has in his hands, but as soon as he moved closer, she started to panic, thrashing in her mother’s hold.

 

“Calm down, baby. You’ll be okay.” She said, trying her best to calm Katie but she was too stressed, only calming when James backed away and even than her breathing was heavier than before. Josie grew more concerned. She had hoped that they could get this part done quickly, so Katie could start feeling better, wishing that reality wouldn’t interfere. She turned to see James with a calculating look on his face, adjusting his glasses on the bridge of his nose. She’d picked up rather quickly, that he usually only did that when he was contemplating something he had thought of. After watching Josie comfort Katie for a while longer, he nodded quietly to himself, deciding it best to deal with Katie’s pain as fast as possible. He took her hand and softly placed the needle in it. She stared quizzically at it for a second before realising what he was asking for and immediately making an effort to hand it back to the doctor as carefully and quickly as she could.

 

“I’ll get it wrong,” she argued, eyes so wide they could pop right out her sockets. James only shook his head at the idea, chuckling lightly, “you wouldn’t hurt her,” he replied. And it was true, even he, who was almost a complete stranger, could tell that much. Josie had a way of being strong and firm, but careful and loving at the same time. Slowly, James led her hand to Katie, who was still slightly wary. He tried his best to quell her worries by staying as far away from her as he could while still assisting Josie, as she hummed a quiet melody. It was warm and private, like it was only meant for the two of them, and, for a moment, he felt the need to look away from such a powerful moment.

 

“Estará bien, mija,” she whispered, stroking Katie’s hair after hearing the quiet yelp of pain at the feeling of a sharp object pressing into her forearm and piercing her skin. She shook in protest for a bit but calmed down after a few moments of breathing and listening to her mother hum a few more notes of an unknown song to her. It was easier than the doctor would have ever anticipated, considering Katie’s fast pace reputation she’s built for herself as of late.

 

She was obviously irritated at first, if the look on her face didn’t say anything; brows knit together and finger nails deep in the flesh of her arms, as if an attempt to slow down the rate of the solution making its way through her system from where the two needles were stuck into her arms. Then, after a long while of observations and check-ups, her skin started to tan and she spent more and more time with the blinds open, looking outwards. He even caught her smiling and laughing with her friends, albeit they were, her friends were more than satisfied to see her back with the same glint in her eyes that she used to. He sighed, content, and made sure to keep a look out for when she showed signs of the serum wearing off, to keep her happy. He knew he had to be careful, so that she wouldn’t become dependent on the drug, but found it hard when she looked so cheerful. Even warming up to him, even if it was only when Josie was around as well. Often times he found the same question popping up his mind, looking at Josie and Katie speaking softly to each other, bright smiles placed so naturally on their faces, a smile creeping up on his own.

 

_What did this girl do to deserve this?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all, I've never committed to anything for this long, should I be proud??


End file.
